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My First Month on The Endometriosis Diet

We all have different diets, and different health needs. When I began on my quest to reduce my endometriosis symptoms, and discovered the ‘endometriosis diet’, I was vegetarian and generally ate healthily, but I had a merciless coffee addiction. I was also dipping my toes into vegan eating and loved to bake vegan cakes and brownies.

So in some ways, I had an easy start with the endometriosis diet because I didn’t have to give up meat, but I was eating a heap of sugar and was drinking at least two cups of coffee a day, usually four if my budget allowed it.

Luckily, I had another push to encourage me to get started with the endometriosis diet. After years of stomach problems (which were both a symptom of endometriosis and my intolerances), I had blood test results return, showing that I was severely intolerant to both gluten and dairy. This came as no real surprise as my brother has Celiac disease while my sister has Crohn’s – so clearly, my siblings and I are no strangers to sensitive stomachs!

Start small

Yet getting started felt overwhelming when I read all the science about hormones, and different types of inflammatory responses in the body. So, I decided to ignore those bits for the time being, and focus on feeling good first. I already knew that dairy and gluten were no good for me, so I cut down on those almost entirely. I swapped my lunchtime sandwiches for rice salads, jacket potatoes and Buddha bowls, and started buying rice pastas and using gluten-free grains for dinner. We had gotten into a habit of eating a lot of cheese with our evening meals, but it was always more of an added luxury rather than a necessary ingredient. Cape Town already had lots of vegan places, so eating out wasn’t too tough, where I struggled was with eating both vegan and gluten-free in one meal. That’s a lot more common now, so you should find it much easier if you choose to go down that route, but for me I often had to choose one or the other.

Finally, I addressed my caffeine and sugar habit. I gave up the vegan brownies, cakes and ice-cream making for a month, and quit coffee. This was a real addiction so I’m pretty sure I caved and had one each weekend, though I was sure to avoid caffeine in the week leading up to my period.

Focus on inflammatory foods

If you feel overwhelmed by all the changes, and you eat a lot of those inflammatory groups, start simple. Try cutting down on one or two food groups over a month, and keep a symptom diary. Notice how you feel, especially around your period. After a few months, you should be able to see a pattern of what made the biggest impact for you, and so begin there. The purpose isn’t perfection, it’s feeling better.

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